Method of Providing Lumens and Tracking of Lumen Consumption

ABSTRACT

Techniques are disclosed for compensating an LED light fixture/light source provider for generation of photons by one or more LED light fixtures used by a customer. In one example, a method comprises receiving a monetary amount as compensation for photons generated by the LED light fixtures/light sources, maintaining a contractual relationship with the customer in exchange for the monetary amount, the contractual relationship including a requirement that the provider pay an electricity supplier for the electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures/light sources, determining, with a meter associated with each respective LED light fixture/light source, the amount of electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures/light sources used by the customer over a period of time, and in response to the determination and on behalf of the customer, submitting payment to the customer&#39;s electricity supplier for the electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures/light sources used by the customer.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/432,949, entitled “Method of Providing Lumens and Tracking of LumenConsumption,” by John C. Pederson, and filed on Jan. 14, 2011, theentire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to light emitting diodes (LEDs) and, moreparticularly, to managing the costs associated with LED lightingfixtures.

BACKGROUND

Present communication techniques using radiofrequency (RF) suffer from anumber of problems. First, there are security concerns becausetransmissions using RF can be easily intercepted, in part because of thefact that RF signals are designed to radiate signals in all directions.Second, the heavy regulation by the Federal Communications Commission(FCC) and its control of the frequencies that may be used for RFtransmission often present daunting challenges to RF broadcasters.Third, RF by its very nature is susceptible to interference and producesnoise.

In contrast to RF communications, light sources used for communicationare extremely secure due to the fact that they are focused within anarrow beam, requiring placing equipment within the beam itself forinterception. Also, because the visible spectrum is not regulated by theFCC, light sources can be used for communications purposes without theneed of a license. And, light sources are not susceptible tointerference nor do they produce noise that can interfere with otherdevices.

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) can be used as light sources for datatransmission, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,879,263 and 7,046,160,the entire contents of each being expressly incorporated herein byreference. LEDs have quick response to “ON” and “OFF” signals, ascompared to the longer warm-up and response times associated withfluorescent lighting, for example. LEDs are also efficient in producinglight, as measured in lumens per watt. Recent developments in LEDtechnology, such as high brightness blue LEDs, which in turn paved theway for white LEDs, have made LEDs a practical alternative toconventional light sources. As such, LED technology provides a practicalopportunity to combine lighting and communication. This combination oflighting and communication allows ubiquitous light sources such asstreet lights, home lighting, and office building lighting, for example,to be converted to, or supplemented with, LED technology to provide forcommunications while simultaneously producing light for illuminationpurposes.

Regarding office buildings, building management is a complex sciencewhich incorporates and governs all facets of human, mechanical andstructural systems associated with buildings. As a result of thecomplexity, most commercial buildings are managed by commercial propertymanagement companies with great expertise. Both at the time ofconstruction and throughout the life-cycle of a building, theinterrelationships between people and the mechanical and structuralsystems are most desirably evaluated. Where possible and cost-effective,human interactions with a building and associated mechanical systemswill be optimized, in turn providing the greatest benefit to both theowners and those who use the facilities afforded by the building.Noteworthy is the fact that building users may include both regularoccupants such as individual or commercial tenants, and also transientoccupants such as visitors, guests, or commercial customers.

Building management includes diverse facets, some which are simplyrepresentations of the building and associated systems and people, andother facets which are tangible. Exemplary of representations areaccounting or financial monitoring responsibilities which will includingrecord keeping control and assurance of financial transactions involvingtenants, owners, and service providers. Exemplary of the physical ortangible responsibilities are physical development and maintenance,including identification of need for features, improvements, maintenanceand the assurance of the execution of the same. As is well understood bythose highly versed in building management, the diverse responsibilitiesand extent of information required to manage a building is often quiteoverwhelming.

One very important area associated with building management is lightingor illumination. While often perceived as a simple task of providinglights, this seemingly simple task has much research and science behinda well-designed lighting system. This is because safety, productivityand general well-being of occupants depend heavily on proper lighting.

Many factors need to be considered at the time of construction orremodeling to facilitate proper lighting design. Intended usage of aspace is important in illumination design consideration, since this willdictate necessary illumination levels, times and duration of use, andanticipated cycling of the illumination. In other words, a supply closetwill not ordinarily be designed for around-the-clock illumination, andmay instead by configured to operate on a switch, or alternatively amotion detector with relatively short-delay turn-off when no motion isdetected. The use of appropriate switches and motion detectors helps toreduce the energy required for a building to function with occupants,and simultaneously increases the life of many illumination componentssuch as light sources (light bulbs and equivalents thereto) since thelight sources are only required intermittently. As another example, aroom where movies, slides, computer or other visual or audio-visualpresentations are given, such as a boardroom or classroom, willpreferably have light controls such as separate switches or switches anddimmer controls which enable the entire room to be well lit oralternatively maintain a minimum level of illumination normally oppositeto where the presentation is displayed. This minimum level ofillumination enables occupants sufficient light for note-taking, safemovement and other important activities, without interfering with thelegibility of a presentation. In yet another example, a primarywork-space such as a desk or kitchen counter will require illuminationthat does not cast shadows on the work space while work is beingperformed. Complementary illumination, such as windows or skylights, isalso important in design consideration.

Nearly all public buildings rely on a great many lamps positionedthroughout the interior of the building, such as along hall corridorsand in each room, and also about the exterior. These lights havehistorically been activated manually, though more recently, a small butgrowing number are activated according to occupancy, proximity or motionsensors, typically incorporating the well-known Infra-Red (IR) motionsensors. Architects are commonly employed to assist not only with afloor plan of physical spaces, but also with the proper selection andlayout of lighting to best complement the floor plan and usage of eachspace within a building. As may be appreciated, illumination of a spaceis determined at the time of production of blueprints, in anticipationof construction. The illumination that has been chosen for a space isessentially fixed during building construction. Changes may be madelater, but not without substantial additional expense that will, forexemplary purposes, often include removal of parts of or entire walls,with the accompanying disruption of the space. Often the space isunavailable for use during the entire duration of a remodeling project.

Further complicating the issue of illumination is the type of light bulbthat may be most appropriate for a space or location. Original electriclight bulbs were incandescent. With sufficient electrical energy, whichis converted to heat within an incandescent bulb filament, the filamentwill emit visible light. This is similar to a fire, where with enoughheat, visible light is produced. As might also be appreciated though,incandescent bulbs produce far more heat than light. The color of thelight from these bulbs is also most commonly quite yellow, casting awarm hue at a color temperature typically in the vicinity of 3,000degrees Kelvin. Warm hues are often prized in relaxed settings such asthose of a living room or dining room, more closely resembling gentlecandle light. However, in contrast thereto, work and study environmentsare more preferably illuminated with light of more blue content, moreclosely resembling daylight with color temperatures of approximately6,000 degrees Kelvin. Daylight color temperatures are not practicallyobtained using an incandescent bulb. In addition, these incandescentbulbs have only a few thousand hour life expectancy, even with more thana century of improvements, because the extreme temperatures required forthe filament to light also gradually evaporates the filament material.Finally, the thermal mass of the filament greatly influences how quicklythe filament both illuminates and extinguishes. In spite of the manylimitations, incandescent bulbs are still in fairly wide-spread usetoday.

An alternative to incandescent light bulbs in common use today is thefluorescent bulb. A fluorescent light bulb uses a small amount ofmercury in vapor state. High voltage electricity is applied to themercury gas, causing the gas to ionize and generate some visible light,but primarily Ultraviolet (UV) light. UV light is harmful to humans,being the component that causes sun burns, so the UV component of thelight must be converted into visible light. The inside of a fluorescenttube is coated with a phosphorescent material, which when exposed toultraviolet light glows in the visible spectrum. This is similar to manyglow-in-the-dark toys and other devices that incorporate phosphorescentmaterials. As a result, the illumination from a fluorescent light willcontinue for a significant time, even after electrical power isdiscontinued, which for the purposes of the present disclosure will beunderstood to be the latent period or latency between the change inpower status and response by the phosphor. As the efficiencies andbrightness of the phosphors has improved, so in many instances have thedelays in illumination and extinguishing, or latency, increased. Throughthe selection of many different modern phosphorescent coatings at thetime of manufacture, fluorescent bulbs may be manufactured that producelight from different parts of the spectrum, resulting in manufacturingcontrol of the color temperature, or hue or warmness of a bulb.

The use of fluorescent bulbs, even though quite widespread, iscontroversial for several reasons. One source states that all pre-1979light ballasts emit highly toxic Polychlorinated BiPhenyls (PCBs). Evenif modern ballasts are used, fluorescent bulbs also contain a small butfinite amount of mercury. Even very small amounts of mercury aresufficient to contaminate a property. Consequently, both the manufactureand disposal of mercury-containing fluorescent tubes is hazardous.Fluorescent lighting has also been alleged to cause chemical reactionsin the brain and body that produce fatigue, depression,immuno-suppression, and reduced metabolism. Further, while the phosphormaterials may be selected to provide hue or color control, this hue isfixed at the time of manufacture, and so is not easily changed to meetchanging or differing needs for a given building space.

Other gaseous discharge bulbs such as halide, mercury or sodium vaporlamps have also been devised. Halide, mercury and sodium vapor lampsoperate at higher temperatures and pressures, and so present undesirablygreater fire hazards. In addition, these bulbs present a possibility ofexposure to harmful radiation from ruptured outer bulbs that goundetected. Furthermore, mercury and sodium vapor lamps generally havevery poor color-rendition-indices, meaning the light rendered by thesebulbs is quite different from ordinary daylight, distorting human colorperception. Yet another set of disadvantages has to do with the startingor lighting of these types of bulbs. Mercury and sodium vapor lamps bothexhibit extremely slow starting times, often measured by many minutes.The in-rush currents during starting are also commonly large. Many ofthe prior art bulbs additionally produce significant and detrimentalnoise pollution, commonly in the form of a hum or buzz at the frequencyof the power line alternating current. In some cases, such asfluorescent lights, ballasts change dimension due to magnetostrictiveforces. Magnetic field leakage from the ballast may undesirably coupleto adjacent conductive or ferromagnetic materials, resulting in magneticforces as well. Both types of forces will generate undesirable sound.Additionally, in some cases a less-optimal bulb may also produce abuzzing sound.

When common light bulbs are incorporated into public and privatefacilities, the limitations of existing bulb technologies often willadversely impact building occupants. As just one example, in one schoolthe use of full-spectrum lamps in eight experimental classroomsdecreased anxiety, depression, and inattention in students with SAD(Seasonal Affective Disorder). The connection between lighting andlearning has been conclusively established by numerous additionalstudies. Mark Schneider, with the National Clearinghouse for EducationalFacilities, declares that ability to perform requires “clean air, goodlight, and a quiet, comfortable, and safe learning environment.”Unfortunately, the flaws in much of the existing lighting have been madeworse as buildings have become bigger. The foregoing references toschools will be understood to be generally applicable to commercial andmanufacturing environments as well, making even the selection of typesof lights and color-rendition-indexes very important, again dependingupon the intended use for a space. Once again, this selection will befixed, either at the time of construction when a particular lightingfixture is installed, or at the time of bulb installation, either in anew fixture or with bulb replacements.

A second very important area associated with building management isenergy management. The concern for energy management is driven by theexpense associated with energy consumed over the life of a building.Energy management is quite challenging to design into a building,because many human variables come into play within different areaswithin a building structure. Considering the foregoing discussion oflighting, different occupants will have different preferences andhabits. Some occupants may regularly forget to turn off lights when aspace is no longer being occupied, thereby wasting electricity anddiminishing the useful life of the light bulbs. In another instance, oneoccupant may require full illumination for that occupant to operateefficiently or safely within a space, while a second occupant might onlyrequire a small amount or local area of illumination. Furthercomplicating the matter of energy management is the fact that manycommercial establishments may have rates based upon peak usage. Abusiness with a large number of lights that are controlled with a commonswitch may have peak demands large relative to total consumption ofpower, simply due to the relatively large amount of power that will rushin to the circuit. Breaking the circuit into several switches may notadequately address inrush current, since a user may switch more than oneswitch at a time, such as by sliding a hand across several switches atonce. Additionally, during momentary or short-term power outages, thestart-up of electrical devices by the power company is known to causemany problems, sometimes harming either customer equipment or powercompany devices. Control over inrush current is therefore verydesirable, but not economically viable in the prior art.

Energy management also includes consideration for differences intemperature preferred by different occupants or for differentactivities. For exemplary purposes, an occupant of a first office spacewithin a building may prefer a temperature close to 68 degreesFahrenheit, while a different occupant in a second office space mayprefer a temperature close to 78 degrees Fahrenheit. The first andsecond office spaces may even be the same office space, just atdifferent times of day. For exemplary purposes, an employee working in amail room from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. may be replaced by a different mailroom employee who works from 4 p.m. until 12 a.m. Heating, Ventilation,and Air Conditioning (HVAC) demand or need is dependent not only uponthe desired temperature for a particular occupant, but also upon thenumber of occupants within a relatively limited space. In other words, asmall room with many people will require more ventilation and lessheating than that same room with only one occupant.

With careful facility design, considerable electrical and thermal energycan be saved. Proper management of electrical resources affects everyindustry, including both tenants and building owners. In the prior art,this facility design has been limited to selection of very simple orbasic switches, motion detectors, and thermostats, and particularlights, all fixed at the time of design, construction or installation.

A third very important area associated with building management issecurity. Continuing to use a school as but one example of a publicbuilding, a one-room country school fifty years ago was made up of oneteacher who knew well the small number of pupils. Security consisted ofa simple padlock on a wooden door. The several windows on one side ofthe room provided light. They were locked but almost never broken into,for nothing of major value, even during the Depression, enticedpotential thieves.

Architecture changed as the years passed. Buildings were enlarged asschool populations increased. Students started to conceal books,outerwear, valuables, and occasionally even weapons in enclosed lockers.Indoor lighting was required. Eventually as society became morehazardous, security had to be provided in many schools in the form ofpersonnel who were required to patrol both outside and inside schools inorder to provide a measure of safety.

In many public buildings, including schools, modern security presentlyscreens a building's occupants to ensure that they belong or have properauthorization to enter the building. Security must also check forweapons, drugs, and even explosives. Thus, modern security personnel areoften responsible for property as well as people. As the types ofpotential perils increase, so does the need for personnel, to processoccupants through more and more stations. For exemplary purposes, inschools, airports, court houses, and other public facilities, one ormore guards may check identification, admission badges or paperwork,while one or more other guards monitor metal detectors. One or moreadditional guards may be monitoring drug sniffing dogs or equipment, orspot checking bags. Unfortunately, the possibilities of duplicationand/or forgery of credentials, or of hostile powers infiltratingsecurity, or other criminal methods demonstrate the potential weaknessesof the present system, which depends upon a large number of securityemployees. Motion sensors and other prior art electronic securitymeasures, while often beneficial, occasionally fail even when used incombination with security personnel to provide adequate protection. Onthe outside of a building, motion sensors may be activated by strongwinds, stray animals, passing vehicles, or blowing debris. Inside, theyoperate only for a specific time; a room's occupant, if not movingabout, may suddenly be in the dark and must re-activate the light bywaving or flailing about.

An increasingly complex, and therefore hazardous, society requiresincreasingly extensive patrols and safeguards. Current security system,which must rely on increasing the numbers of guards and securitydevices, are subject to inherent defects and extraordinary expense,generally rendering them inadequate even with the best of intention.

Yet another very important area associated with building management isguidance control and indication, which impacts building security, aswell as building convenience and efficiency for occupants. In buildingshaving many alternative hallways or paths, such as are commonly found inhospitals and other large public facilities, directions are often clumsyand difficult for visitors or emergency personnel to follow.Old-fashioned directories may be hard to locate or decipher, especiallyfor non-English speakers or for persons with little or no time, againsuch as emergency personnel. Consequently, some buildings provide colorstripes along walls that serve as color coding to guide visitors tovarious areas within the building. Unfortunately, the number of colorstripes that may be patterned is quite limited, and the expense anddefacing of appearance associated therewith is undesirable. Furthermore,such striping does not completely alleviate confusion, and the colorstripes can only serve as general guides to commonly visited areas.

In addition to their numerous uses with building management, LEDs can beused in networking applications. In any network, a variety of clientdevices will communicate with one or more host devices. The host mayprovide connection to a Local Area Network (LAN), sometimes referred toas an Intranet, owing to the common use of such a network entirelywithin an office space, building, or business. The host may additionallyor alternatively provide connection to a Wide Area Network (WAN),commonly describing a network coupling widely separated physicallocations which are connected together through any suitable connection,including for exemplary purposes but not solely limited thereto suchmeans as fiber optic links, T1 lines, Radio Frequency (RF) linksincluding cellular telecommunications links, satellite connections, DSLconnections, or even Internet connections. Generally, where more publicmeans such as the Internet are used, secured access will commonlyseparate the WAN from general Internet traffic. The host may furtherprovide access to the Internet.

A variety of client devices have heretofore been enabled to connect tohost devices. Such client devices may commonly include computing devicesof all sorts, ranging from hand-held devices such as Personal DigitalAssistants (PDAs) to massive mainframe computers, and including PersonalComputers (PCs). However, over time many more devices have been enabledfor connection to network hosts, including for exemplary purposesprinters, network storage devices, cameras, other security and safetydevices, appliances, HVAC systems, manufacturing machinery, and soforth. Essentially, any device which incorporates or can be made toincorporate sufficient electronic circuitry may be so linked as a clientto a host.

Existing client devices are designed to connect to host network accesspoints through wired connections, like copper wire, for example, fiberoptic connections, or as wireless connections, such as wireless routers.In the case of a wired system, whether through simple wire, twistedwire, co-axial cable, fiber optics or other line or link, the host andclient are tethered together through this physical communicationschannel. The tether, as may be appreciated, limits movement of theclient relative to the host, is often unsightly and hard to contain in aworkspace, and so may even be or become a tripping hazard. In addition,electrical connectors such as jacks must be provided, and theseconnectors necessarily limit the number of access points and locations.The installation of connectors defaces walls, sometimes rendering themunsuitable for a particular desired application, and yet they addundesirable installation expense, whether during new construction or inretrofitting an existing building structure.

In contrast, in the case of wireless routers, an RF signal replaces thephysical communications channel with a radio channel. Thisadvantageously eliminates the wire or fiber tether between client andhost. Instead, client devices in a wireless system try through variousbroadcasts and signal receptions to find an access point that will haveadequate transmission and reception, generally within a certain signalrange which may range from a few meters to as many as several tens ofmeters. The systems are programmed to bridge from a host access point tovarious client devices through known exchanges of information, commonlydescribed as communications protocols or handshakes. Depending upon thecommunications channel, a variety of client connection devices areutilized such as PCMCIA or PC cards, serial ports, parallel ports, SIMMcards, USB connectors, Ethernet cards or connectors, FireWireinterfaces, Bluetooth compatible devices, infrared/IrDA devices, andother known or similar components.

The security of these prior art wireless devices can be compromised inthat they are vulnerable to unauthorized access or interception, and theinterception may be from a significant distance, extending often wellbeyond physical building and property boundaries. Moreover, reliabilitycan be hindered by interference from an appliance such as a microwaveoven.

Buildings can encompass a very large number of rooms or discrete spaces,each functioning relatively independently from each other. Where therooms or discrete spaces together form a larger entity such as abusiness, public institution or facility, or the like, which haveattempted to include synchronized time keeping throughout the entity. Alarge number of buildings, both public and private, have synchronizedclocks installed therein.

These same buildings also have a number of additional featuresincluding, for exemplary purposes though not limited thereto, fire andsmoke detection, temperature control, and public address. Because of theever-changing nature of a building and the best practices associatedtherewith, it can be quite difficult if not impossible to keep all areaswithin a building up to date with best practices or preferredcapabilities. One method of desirable features or capabilities within abuilding space is through the use of electrical wiring adequate toaccommodate the features or capabilities, particularly when the featuresor capabilities are identified subsequent to original construction.

For exemplary purposes, a building may accommodate very differentnumbers of occupants at different times within a relatively enclosedspace, such as a meeting or class room. The number of occupants is knownto significantly alter the temperature and associated need for HVACcontrol. Furthermore, other factors, such as weather conditions andsunlight or lack thereof through windows in a room may have as much orgreater effect on the need for HVAC control. However, many olderbuildings were only provided with a single central thermostat, providingthe same amount of heating or air conditioning to a room or other spaceregardless of demand for the same. Newer HVAC systems enable control,through electrically controlled dampers or vents within the HVAC systemto much more precisely respond to the needs of a single space or roomwithin a building. However, without providing wiring within the room toaccommodate the thermostat and various duct controls, the room may notbe individually controlled.

Even where a building is originally provided with appropriate wiring foreach electrical system or component desired, necessary remodeling maycritically alter the need. As one example, consider when a room or spaceis subdivided into two smaller spaces. Existing wiring only provides forelectrical connection to one set of devices for one room. In this case,it may be necessary to run new wires back to one or more centrallocations, utility rooms, or the like to accommodate the new room anddevices within the room.

More buildings are incorporating wireless networks within the building,the networks which are intended to reduce the need for wiringalterations and additions practiced heretofore. However, these wirelessnetworks are not contained within the walls of a building, and so theyare subject to a number of limitations. One of these is the lack ofspecific localization of a signal and device. For exemplary purposes,even a weak Radio-Frequency (RF) transceiver, in order to communicatereliably with all devices within a room, will have a signal pattern thatwill undoubtedly cross into adjacent rooms. If only one room or space ina building is to be covered, this signal overlap is without consequence.However, when many rooms are to be covered by different transceivers,signal overlap between transceivers requires more complex communicationssystems, including incorporating techniques such as access control anddevice selection based upon identification. Since the radio signal isinvisible, detection of radiant pattern and signal strength aredifficult and require special instruments. Further, detection ofinterference is quite difficult. Finally, such systems are subject tooutside tapping and corruption, since containment of the signal ispractically impossible for most buildings.

Another issue associated with use of conventional and LED lightingsources concerns the difficulty in quantifying the amount of use of alight source, as well as the amount of degradation or exhaustion of alight source before light source failure.

All U.S. patents and applications and all other published documentsmentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

SUMMARY

In general, this disclosure describes techniques for compensating an LEDlight fixture provider for generation of photons by one or more LEDlight fixtures used by a customer. More particularly, in accordance withvarious techniques of this disclosure, an LED light fixture providerreceives compensation from customers using the provider's LED lightfixtures, and the provider pays the customer's electricity supplier, onbehalf of the customer, a monetary amount for the cost of theelectricity used to generate the photons by each LED light fixture onthe customer's premises. In this manner, the LED light fixture providerhas inserted itself between the customer and the electricity supplier,e.g., a power company, in order to generate a revenue stream for theprovider.

In one example, this disclosure is directed to a method of compensatingan LED light fixture provider for generation of photons by one or moreLED light fixtures used by a customer. The method comprises receiving amonetary amount as compensation for photons generated by the LED lightfixtures, maintaining a contractual relationship with the customer for aperiod of time in exchange for the monetary amount, the contractualrelationship including a requirement that the provider pay thecustomer's electricity supplier for the electricity consumed by the LEDlight fixtures used by the customer, determining, with a meterassociated with each respective LED light fixture, the amount ofelectricity consumed by the LED light fixtures used by the customer overa period of time, in response to the determination and on behalf of thecustomer, submitting payment to the customer's electricity supplier forthe electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures used by the customer.

In another example, this disclosure is directed to a method ofcompensating an LED light source provider for generation of photons fromat least one LED light source used by a customer. The method comprisesreceiving a monetary amount as compensation for photons generated by theat least one LED light source, maintaining a contractual relationshipwith the customer for a period of time in exchange for the monetaryamount, the contractual relationship including a requirement that theprovider pay the customer's electricity supplier for the electricityconsumed by the at least one LED light source, determining, with a meterassociated with each respective LED light source, the amount ofelectricity consumed by the at least one LED light source over a periodof time, and in response to the determination and on behalf of thecustomer, submitting payment to the customer's electricity supplier forthe electricity consumed by the at least one LED light source.

The details of one or more aspects of the disclosure are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description anddrawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one example communication systemthat may be used with the techniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example LED light fixture thatmay be used with the techniques of this disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example metering configurationfor an LED light fixture, in accordance with various technique of thisdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example LED light fixtureagreement between a customer and a licensor.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example method of compensating anLED light fixture provider for generation of photons by one or more LEDlight fixtures used by a customer.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example system for compensating an LEDlight fixture provider for generation of photons by one or more LEDlight fixtures used by a customer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one example communication systemthat may be used with the techniques of this disclosure. Thecommunication system in FIG. 1, shown generally at 10, includes a servercomputer 12 connected to a server optical transceiver (XCVR) 14, e.g.,via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable or the like, and a clientcomputer 16 connected to a client optical transceiver 18, e.g., via aUSB cable or the like, that generates pulsed light signals for pulsedlight communication. Server 12 is in communication with network 20 via aCategory (CAT) 5 cable, CAT-6 cable, or the like, for example.

Server optical XCVR 14 and client optical XCVR 18 are substantiallysimilar in at least one example and, as such, will be described togetherfor purposes of conciseness. Optical XCVRs 14, 18 may include one ormore light emitting diodes (“LEDs”) 22 for transmission of light and oneor more photodetectors 24 for receiving transmitted light. LEDs andphotodetectors are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art and,as such, their specific operation will not be described in detail. Theterm “photodetector” includes “photodiodes” and all other devicescapable of converting light into current or voltage. The termsphotodetector and photodiode are used interchangeably throughout thisdisclosure. The use of the term photodiode is not intended to restrictembodiments of the invention from using alternative photodetectors thatare not specifically mentioned herein.

In at least one example, the XCVR circuit may include an RS232 to USBconversion module. The transmit pin on the USB conversion module drivesthe driver electronics for the LEDs. In some embodiments, the XCVRcircuit includes high intensity LEDs. In some embodiments it may bedesirable to use high intensity LEDs to enhance lighting, to improvedata transmission, or both. In at least one embodiment, a 12 volt directcurrent (DC), 3 amp power supply is sufficient for powering an array ofhigh intensity LEDs.

In some embodiments, the XCVR circuit further includes an amplifier foramplifying the optical signal received by the photodiode. The output ofthe amplifier may be fed into level shifting circuitry to raise thesignal to TTL levels, for example. The signal is then fed into thereceive pin of the RS232 to USB module.

In one example, an alternating current (AC) source such as a linevoltage, e.g., 120 Volt (V) provided by an electricity supplier, e.g.,power company, can supply power to the XCVR circuit. In someembodiments, a 9V battery can be used to power the amplifier circuitry.Significant noise is generated by switching high brightness LEDs on andoff, e.g., at 200 milliamps (mA) and 500 kilobits per second (kbps).Powering the amplifier with a battery can reduce these noise problems byreducing or removing transients.

It should be noted that in some embodiments, the LED can both emit andreceive light. In such an embodiment, the LED can act both as atransmitter or receiver, i.e., a transceiver (“XCVR”). More informationon such bi-directional LEDs can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,072,587, theentire contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

In at least one embodiment, the optical XCVRs, or circuitry attachedthereto, include modulation circuitry for modulating a carrier signalwith the optical signal. Modulation can be used to eliminate biasconditions caused by sunlight or other interfering light sources.Digital modulation can be accomplished by using phase-shift keying,amplitude-shift keying, frequency-shift keying, quadrature modulation,or any other digital modulation technique known by those of ordinaryskill. Similarly, such XCVRs can include demodulation circuitry thatextracts the data from the received signal. Modulation and demodulationtechniques for modulating light signals are described in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,245,681, and 6,137,613, the entire contents of each being expresslyincorporated herein by reference.

It may be desirable in some embodiments to further include filters orfilter circuitry to prevent unwanted light from being amplified. Forexample, the optical baseband signal can be modulated at 100 kHz andthen transmitted. The XCVR that receives the 100 kHz modulated signalcan include a filter stage centered at 100 kHz. The filtered 100 kHzsignal can then be input into the amplifier circuitry, therebypreventing amplification of unwanted signals. In some embodiments, itcan be desirable to amplify the transmitted signal first, and thenfilter out the baseband signal.

Additional information regarding data communication can be found inInternational Publication Number WO 99/49435, the entire contents ofwhich are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example LED light fixture thatmay be used with the techniques of this disclosure. LED light fixture 26is configured to generate and receive pulsed light signals for pulsedlight communication. Power and data applied to LED light fixture 26 isconverted and transmitted as observable light, which includes pulsedlight embedded communication/data signals that, in turn, are received bya transceiver (not shown) in communication with a computing device, forexample. The transceiver receives and processes the pulsed lightphotons/lumens transmitted by LED light fixture 26, which includesembedded communication/data signals as carried by the observed light.The embedded communication signals within the observed light are notdetectable by ordinary observation by an individual.

LED light fixture 26 of FIG. 2 includes, for example, photodetectors 24for converting received light into an electrical signal, e.g., current,and amplifier circuitry 28 that amplifies the electrical signal. Thereceived light may be received from a LED light dongle communicationsystem connected to a client computer, for example, as described in U.S.Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0320200 to Pederson et al., theentire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Processor 30 receives a digitized version of the electric signal via ananalog-to-digital converter (ADC) (not shown), generates data packetsfrom the digitized signal, e.g., Ethernet data packets, encapsulates thedata packets with appropriate header information and the like, andtransmits the data packets to another computer device, e.g., laptopcomputer, desktop computer, and the like, via connector 32. LED fixture26 may, for example, use broadband over power line (BPL) techniques totransmit the data packets, as described in U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2009/0129782 to John C. Pederson, the entire content ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference.

The term “processor” as used herein refers to a processor, controller,microprocessor, microcontroller, or any other device that can executeinstructions, perform arithmetic and logic functions, access and writeto memory, interface with peripheral devices, etc. Processor 30 may takethe form of one or more microprocessors, controllers, ASICS, FPGAs,DSPs, or equivalent discrete or integrated logic circuitry. Thefunctions attributed to processor 30 in this disclosure may be embodiedas software, firmware, hardware or any combination thereof.

LED light fixture 26 of FIG. 2 further includes LEDs 22 and drivercircuitry 34 for transmitting received data, e.g., Ethernet datapackets, to client computer 16 of FIG. 1, for example, as light signals.Processor 30 receives data packets via connector 32, e.g., using BPLtechniques, and decapsulates the data packets. Processor 30 controls adigital-to-analog converter (DAC)(not shown) and driver circuitry 34 todrive LEDs 22 with an analog signal that represents the received data,thereby generating light signals carrying embedded data.

LED light fixture 26 further includes power supply circuitry 36. As oneexample, LED light fixture 26 may receive AC line power, e.g., 120 V,and power supply circuitry 36 may include power converter circuitry toconvert the line voltage to a direct current (DC) voltage that powersLED light fixture 26.

In some examples, LED light fixture 26 further includes identification(ID) module 38. ID module 38 may include global positioning system (GPS)capabilities and/or an identification number, which processor 30 uses togenerate a unique identifier for each LED light fixture to assist in therecording of data as measured by individual meters (FIG. 3). In someexamples, each LED light fixture 26 may include a unique media accesscontrol (MAC) address that can serve as the fixture's unique identifier.In at least one example, LED light fixture 26 may transmit longitude,latitude, elevation and other GPS information, e.g., as a 20-digitnumber, either at regular or irregular intervals. In one example, theidentification number associated with the LED light fixture may alsoemanate at regular or irregular intervals. ID module 38 provides eachLED light fixture 26 with a unique identifier, which assists in thetracking and recording of usage data as measured by individual metersassociated with each LED light fixture 26, as described in more detailbelow.

As described in more detail below, each LED light fixture is associatedwith a meter that measures an amount of electricity used by the LEDlight fixture. Processor 30 of LED light fixture 26, via ID module 38,generates a unique identifier using a unique identification numberand/or GPS location, associates the measured amount of electricity withthe unique identifier, and transmits a light signal comprising datarepresenting the associated measured amount of electricity and uniqueidentifier.

In one example, a customer using one or more LED light fixtures 26 hasan account with an LED light fixture licensor (or simply “licensor”).Using the techniques of this disclosure, the amount of electricity usedto generate photons by LED light fixture 26 can be tracked, quantified,and reported for billing purposes. The transmitted light signalcomprising data representing the associated measured amount ofelectricity and unique identifier can be received, recorded, andassigned to a customer account for recording, processing, and summation,so that a billed expense may be issued by the licensor to the customer,as described in more detail below.

In one example, processor 30 may transmit data including a customeraccount number and/or customer location number specific to a property oraddress or floor in situations where the customer has more than oneproperty, address locations, and/or floors. In some examples, in amanner similar to a premise having multiple phone lines, a customerlocation may have multiple identification numbers that are assigned tofloors, or departments on a floor, where a main number is assigned ashaving a main account number for the customer.

It should be noted that LED light fixtures 26 may be mobile orstationary. Even if mobile, the unique identifier associated with eachLED light fixture assists in the recording of data as measured byindividual meters (FIG. 3).

The costs associated with the use of the LED light fixture and embeddedcommunication/data transmission signals may be less than, and representa cost savings, as compared to the utilization of traditional types ofillumination sources. In at least one example configuration, theembedded communication data transmission signals incorporate securityfeatures that may operate in a manner similar to encryption to providesecurity for the embedded communication data transmission signals.

As described in more detail below, in accordance with various techniquesof this disclosure, a provider of LED light fixtures 26 can track and/orquantitatively measure the photons generated by LED light fixtures 26that provider 44 supplied to a customer. In addition, and in accordancewith various techniques of disclosure, the provider has inserted itselfbetween the customer and power company, thereby allowing the provider togenerate a revenue stream for the provider based on the tracked and/orquantitatively measured photon generation.

Additional information and details regarding LED light communicationsystems can be found in the following references, the entire contents ofeach being expressly incorporated herein by reference: U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2008/0310850; U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2008/0320200; U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2009/0129782; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0317475; U.S.Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0003832; and U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2008/0292320.

It should be noted that although various techniques of this disclosureare described with respect to LED light fixture 26, the disclosure isnot limited to fixtures. Rather, various techniques of this disclosuremay be used in conjunction with any LED light source, e.g., LED lamp andthe like. For example, an LED light source, e.g., LED lamp, may includeone or more components described above with respect to LED light fixture26.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example metering configurationfor an LED light fixture, in accordance with various techniques of thisdisclosure. As seen in the example configuration depicted in FIG. 3,both the line-in side (from the electricity supplier, e.g., powercompany) and line-out side of LED light fixture 26 may include a meter.In particular, FIG. 3 depicts meter 40A receiving power (e.g., AC linepower from a power company, or DC power). Meter 40A measures the amountof current drawn by LED light fixture 26 and the voltage at which thecurrent is drawn. Hence, meter 40A may be considered a power meter, ormay be considered to perform a power metering function. Meter 40Atransmits the measured current and voltage to LED fixture 26 and, inparticular, processor 30 of LED fixture 26 as power consumption data.Processor 30 of fixture 26 then associates the received powerconsumption data with the unique identifier of fixture 26 and eitherstores the data in memory, e.g., FLASH RAM or the like (not depicted),or transmits the associated data, as described above. In this manner,the amount of electricity used by LED light fixture 26 to generatephotons and/or visible light can be tracked, quantified, and reportedfor billing purposes. Meter 40A provides a “sub-metering” function thatallows the electrical consumption of each LED light fixture 26 to bedetermined.

The measurement of the visible light and/or photons may be in anyquantitative measurement per given period of time as opposed to hourincrements. The measurement of the photons generated may be referred tophotons per hour or photons per some other period of time.

In some configurations, meter 40B is provided. Optional meter 40Bmeasures the luminosity (or quality of the luminosity) of LED lightfixture 26, by measuring the amount of lumens produced by LED lightfixture 26. In particular, meter 40B receives light emitted from theLEDs of fixture 26, shown generally at 41 in FIG. 3, meter 40Bdetermines the luminosity of light 41 emitted from the LEDs of fixture26 (and, in some examples, the color of light 41 for color correctionpurposes), and meter 40B transmits the determined luminosity to LEDfixture 26, and, in particular, processor 30 of LED fixture 26 or tocomputing device 42 (which will transmit the determined luminosity toLED fixture 26). Upon receiving the determined luminosity from meter40B, processor 30 of LED light fixture 26 retrieves from a memory devicein fixture 26 (not depicted) a luminosity value, e.g., pre-configuredvalue stored in the memory device, and compares the luminosity valuemeasured by meter 40B to the value retrieved from memory. Meter 40B maybe considered a light (or lumen) meter, or may be considered to performa light (or lumen) metering function.

If processor 30 determines that the luminosity value as measured bymeter 40B is less than the value retrieved from the memory device,processor 30 controls driver circuitry 34 of fixture 26 to increase theamount of current applied to LEDs 22, thereby increasing the amount oflight output from LEDs 22 which, in turn, increases the luminosity ofLED light fixture 26. For instance, an agreement between the LED lightfixture customer and the LED light fixture provider, e.g., agreement 72Aof FIG. 6, may include a provision that the provider, e.g., provider 44of FIG. 6, agrees to provide an amount of lumens or luminosity to thecustomer, e.g., customer 46A of FIG. 6, for an agreed upon price over anagreed upon time period. As LEDs 22 of fixture 26 degrade over time fromuse and produce less light (in response to a particular applied currentlevel), processor 30 of fixture 26 controls driver circuitry 34 toincrease the amount of current applied to LEDs 22 in order to providethe agreed upon amount of lumens or luminosity. In this manner, meter40B aids in calibrating LED light fixture 26 so that the fixture is incompliance with the agreement between the customer and the provider.

Of course, as more current is applied to LEDs 22, meter 40A measures anincrease in power consumption by fixture 26. As fixture 26 ages andrequires more power to produce a given lumen output, the profit to theprovider is reduced because the amount of money that the customer paysthe provider for a given lumen output is independent of how muchelectricity is required to produce that given output. The electricalcost paid by the provider to the electricity supplier and the providedlumen output are predetermined.

In one example, processor 30 of LED light fixture 26 controls drivercircuitry to increase the amount of current applied to LEDs 22 based onvalues stored in a memory device in LED light fixture 26. For example, adata structure, e.g., table, stored in the memory device may associate aset of luminosity values with a set of current values to be applied toLEDs. Processor 30 accesses the data structure, compares the measuredluminosity value from meter 40B with the stored set of luminosityvalues, and retrieves a current value associated with that luminosityvalue (or a value close to it) from the stored set of current values.Then, processor 30 controls driver circuitry 34 to apply the retrievedcurrent value to LEDs 22.

In some examples, a master computer, e.g., computing device 42, mayquery one or more of LED light fixtures 26 in order to retrieve thestored luminosity information and/or power consumption information. Ifappropriate, the master computer controls processor 30 of LED lightfixture 26 to adjust its light output.

In some configurations, only the line-in side meter 40A is used. Itshould be noted that in some example configurations, meters 40A, 40B areintegral with LED light fixture 26 such that meters 40A, meter 40B (ifpresent), and LED light fixture form a single unit. In one exampleconfiguration, meters 40A, 40B are separate components that are externalto and in communication with LED light fixture 26. In some examples, theLED light fixture provider (provider 44 of FIG. 4) maintains the line-inside meter 40A.

The power entering LED light fixture 26 is converted by LED lightfixture 26 into observable light, which includes pulsed light embeddedcommunication/data signals. The light, in turn, is received by anothertransceiver that processes the pulsed light photons/lumens to processand communicate the embedded communication/data signals as carried bythe observed light. The embedded communication signals within theobserved light are not detectable by ordinary observation by anindividual.

FIG. 3 further depicts computing device 42. Computing device 42 is anydevice capable of communicating with meters 40 and storing andprocessing data related to the amount of electricity used by LED lightfixture 26 to generate photons and/or visible light. Accordingly,computing device 42 includes, for example, one or more processors,memory for storing instructions executable by the one or more processorsas well as data, and communication functionality. In one example,computing device 42 may be remotely located at the LED light fixtureprovider's premises and owned and operated by the provider. In anotherexample, computing device 42 may be positioned on the customer's siteand either owned and operator by the provider or owned and operated bythe customer.

In at least one example configuration, an LED light fixture customer hasan account with the LED light fixture provider. For each LED lightfixture 26, processor 30 transmits data packets comprising theelectricity usage measured by meter 40A (and if present, the lumensmeasured by meter 40B), and the unique identifier for the LED lightfixture. Processor 30 may execute instructions, without userintervention, that cause processor 30 to periodically transmit the datapackets comprising the electricity usage measured by meter 40A (and ifpresent, the lumens measured by meter 40B) and the unique identifier forthe LED light fixture, e.g., daily, weekly, bi-weekly. Or, in someexamples, processor 30 may execute instructions, without userintervention, that cause processor 30 to almost continuously transmitthe data packets comprising the electricity usage measured by meter 40A(and if present, the lumens measured by meter 40B) and the uniqueidentifier for the LED light fixture, e.g., once per minute, every otherminute, every five minutes, or some other small time interval. In otherexamples, processor 30 may respond to a user request, e.g., viacomputing device 42, and execute instructions that cause processor 30 totransmit the data packets comprising the electricity usage measured bymeter 40A (and if present, the lumens measured by meter 40B) and theunique identifier for the LED light fixture.

The meter is assigned to a customer account for recording, processing,and summation, so that a billed expense may be issued by the provider tothe customer. In one example, the provider may estimate the amount ofelectricity that will be used by the LED light fixtures on thecustomer's premises, e.g., in the first year after installation of theLED fixtures.

Regardless of whether meters 40A, 40B are integral with LED lightfixture, the functions attributed to meters 40A, 40B in this disclosuremay be embodied as software, firmware, hardware or any combinationthereof.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example LED light fixtureagreement between a customer and a licensor, in accordance with thisdisclosure. FIG. 4 depicts three entities, namely LED light fixtureprovider 44, LED light fixture customer 46, and power company 48 (alsoreferred to as an “electricity supplier”). LED light fixture customer 46is an entity that uses one or more LED light fixtures 26 supplied by LEDlight fixture provider 44. In accordance with a contractual agreementbetween provider 44 and customer 46, customer 46 agrees to pay provider44 a monetary amount (e.g., a pre-determined monetary amount or amonetary amount determined or negotiated in some other manner) for eachLED light fixture 26 supplied to customer 46 by provider 44, asindicated by line 50, as compensation for the photons generated by theLED light fixtures. Within the photons received by the customer isembedded pulse light communication and/or data. In return, provider 44agrees to provide customer 46 with LED light fixtures that can provideillumination, embed receivable data within the illumination, and receivedata embedded within transmitted light signals, as indicated by line 52.

Additionally, as part of the contractual agreement between provider 44and customer 46, provider 44 agrees to pay the electricity supplier,e.g., power company 48, on behalf of customer 46, a monetary amount forthe cost of the electricity used to generate the photons by each LEDlight fixture 26 on the customer's premises. The payment made by theprovider to the electricity supplier is used as a credit against anyaccount balance owed by the customer to the electricity supplier. Tofacilitate this payment, the customer may provide the LED light fixtureprovider with the name of the customer's electricity supplier, e.g., thelocal power company, and the customer's account information with theelectricity supplier.

As described above, meter 40A (FIG. 3) is used to determine the amountof electricity used to generate the photons by each LED light fixture26. During each power company billing period, for example, provider 44pays power company 48 (into an account associated with customer 46) amonetary sum equal to the total cost of the electricity used to generatethe photons for all LED light fixtures 26 on the customer's premises, asindicated by line 54. The difference between what customer 46 agreed topay provider 44 as a monetary amount for each LED light fixture 26supplied to customer 46 by provider 44 (line 50) and what provider 44pays power company 48 as a monetary sum equal to the total cost of theelectricity used to generate the photons for all LED light fixture 26 onthe customer's premises (line 54) is realized as a profit for provider44.

By way of specific example, assume that customer 46 enters a contractualagreement with provider 44 and has two LED light fixtures on thecustomer's premises. In the agreement, customer 46 agreed to payprovider 44 $2.50 per fixture, per 30 day billing period, in perpetuityas compensation for the photons generated by the LED light fixtures.During a power company 48 billing cycle, e.g., 30 days, provider 44determined, via one or more meters 40A, that the two LED fixtures on thecustomer's premises consumed electricity totaling $2.25 per fixture. Pertheir agreement, provider 44 deposits, transfers, or otherwiseestablishes a credit with the customer's account at power company 48 inthe amount of $4.50 ($2.25*2 LED light fixtures). Because provider 44received from customer 46 $5.00 ($2.50*2 LED light fixtures) ascompensation for the photons generated by the LED light fixtures per 30day billing period, provider 44 realizes a profit of $0.50 for thatparticular billing cycle. In this manner, using the techniques of thisdisclosure, provider 44 can track the photons generated by the LED lightfixtures that provider 44 has supplied to customer 46. In addition, andin accordance with various techniques of disclosure, provider 44 hasinserted itself between customer 46 and power company 48, therebyallowing provider 44 to generate a revenue stream for provider 44 basedon the tracked photon generation.

Still referring to FIG. 4, customer 46 and power company 48 have acontractual agreement in which customer 46 is financially obligated topay power company 48 for the expense of power consumed by customer 46that is in excess of the amount credited by provider 44 to thecustomer's account with power company 48. The excess power expense maybe incurred by the customer by use of electrical devices that are notassociated with LED light fixtures that include embedded communicationand/or data, e.g., traditional light sources other than the LED lightfixtures or electricity used by other electrical devices. In accordancewith their agreement, power company 48 agrees to supply customer 46 withelectricity (indicated by line 56) and customer 46 agrees to pay powercompany 48 a monetary amount for the electricity consumed (indicated byline 58). As described above, provider 44 pays power company 48 amonetary sum equal to the total cost of the electricity used to generatethe photons or all LED light fixtures 26 on the customer's premises(line 54). Customer 46, however, has likely consumed electricity beyondthat used to generate photons for all LED light fixtures 26 on thecustomer's premises. Hence, customer 46 owes power company 48 a monetarysum equal to the difference between the credits applied to thecustomer's account by provider 44 and the excess consumed electricity.Power company 48 bills customer 46 for the difference.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example method of compensating anLED light fixture provider for generation of photons by one or more LEDlight fixtures used by a customer. In the example method of FIG. 5, anLED light fixture provider, e.g., provider 44, receives from an LEDlight fixture customer, e.g., customer 46, a monetary amount ascompensation for photons generated by LED light fixtures 26 installed atthe customer's premises (60). Provider 44 may receive the monetaryamount on a periodic basis, e.g., weekly, monthly, or yearly. In otherwords, provider 44 may receive a payment from the customer at a regularinterval corresponding to a period of time, as agreed upon by provider44 and customer 46. For example, assume that customer 46 enters acontractual agreement with provider 44 and has two LED light fixtures onthe customer's premises. In the agreement, customer 46 agreed to payprovider 44 $2.50 per fixture in perpetuity as compensation for thephotons generated by the LED light fixtures.

Per a previously entered into contractual agreement, provider 44maintains a contractual relationship with customer 46 for a period oftime in exchange for the monetary amount, the contractual relationshipincluding a requirement that provider 44 pay the customer's electricitysupplier, e.g., power company 48, for the electricity consumed by theLED light fixtures (62) used by the customer. The method of FIG. 5further includes determining, with a meter associated with eachrespective LED light fixture, e.g., meter 40A, the amount of electricityconsumed by the LED light fixtures used by the customer over a period oftime (64). Then, in response to the determination and on behalf ofcustomer 46, provider 44 submits payment to the customer's electricitysupplier, e.g., power company 48, for the electricity consumed by theLED light fixtures 26 (66) used by the customer.

For example, during a power company 48 billing cycle, e.g., 30 days,provider 44 determined, via meters 40A, that the two LED fixtures on thecustomer's premises consumed electricity totaling $2.25 per fixture. Pertheir agreement, provider 44 deposits, transfers, or otherwiseestablishes a credit with the customer's account at power company 48 inthe amount of $4.50 ($2.25*2 LED light fixtures). Because provider 44received from customer 46 $5.00 ($2.50*2 LED light fixtures) ascompensation for the photons generated by the LED light fixtures,provider 44 realizes a profit of $0.50 for that particular billingcycle. In this manner, using the techniques of this disclosure, provider44 has inserted itself between customer 46 and power company 48 in orderto generate a revenue stream.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example system for compensating an LEDlight fixture provider for generation of photons by LED light fixturesused by a customer. The system, shown generally at 70, includes LEDlight fixture provider 44 establishing and maintaining a contractualagreement, e.g., agreement 72A, with an LED light fixture customer,e.g., customer 46A. Provider 44 may establish and maintain additionalcontractual agreements, e.g., agreements 72B-72N (each agreementreferred to generally in this disclosure as “agreement 72”) withadditional customers 46B-46N, respectively, (each customer referred togenerally in this disclosure as “customer 46”).

LED light fixture provider 44 may be a LED light fixture manufacturer,LED light fixture retailer, or LED light fixture distributor, or anyother party capable of providing LED light fixtures. Customer 46 is anyperson, organization (public or private), or other entity capable ofreceiving, maintaining, and operating an LED light fixture, e.g., LEDlight fixture 26. Examples of customers include, but are not limited to,government entities (e.g., city governments), school districts, shoppingmalls, private businesses, individuals, airports, and the like.

Agreements 72 include any legally binding instrument, electronic ortangible, capable of establishing a contractual relationship between acustomer, e.g., customer 46A, and a provider, e.g., provider 44, (“theparties”). Agreements 72 set forth the terms and conditions of thecontractual relationship between the parties. In one example, agreements72 are tangible agreements that may be signed by the parties. In otherexamples, agreements 72 are “click-thru” agreements in which thecustomer, e.g., customer 46A, manifests assent by clicking an “ok” or“agree” button or the like on a dialog box or pop-up window.

Per each agreement 72, the customer, e.g., customer 46A, agrees to payLED light fixture provider 44, a monetary amount as compensation forphotons generated by LED light fixtures 26 installed at customer 46A′spremises. In exchange for the monetary amount, provider 44 agrees to paythe customer's electricity supplier, e.g., power company 48, for theelectricity consumed by the LED light fixtures used by the customer.Because provider 44 will generally receive from the customer, e.g.,customer 46A, a compensatory amount greater than the cost of theelectricity usage, provider 44 realizes a profit and generates a revenuestream.

In some examples, the agreement between the parties includes three ormore phases, e.g., stages. In other examples, the agreement between theparties includes less than three phases.

In one example, the use of LED light fixtures having embeddedcommunication/data signal transmissions capabilities is aninfrastructure change to the customer. In some examples, in at least onephase the agreement requires the customer to pay to the provider anagreed-upon price for manufacture and installation of each LED lightfixture. The provider retains ownership of the LED light fixture in someexamples. In at least one example, the customer may also lease from theLED light fixture provider one or more USB Internet transceivers for anagreed-upon price.

In at least one example, payment of the agreed-upon installation priceand execution of the agreement, e.g., agreement 72A, places thecustomer, e.g., customer 46A, in a priority position relative to othercustomers which enter into the contract with provider 44 at a laterdate. In one example, early entry into an agreement with provider 44affords priority to the customer with respect to installation or serviceof LED light fixtures at additional locations (to be identified at afuture date) or when the customer adds additional designated locationsor fixtures within a particular property. That is, the customer'sexecution of the agreement places the customer in an establishedposition in a queue with respect to installation and/or service ofadditional LED light fixtures at the customer's facility. The fasterthat the customer establishes its priority in the queue, then the fasterthe customer will start saving energy and receiving embeddedcommunication/data services.

In one example, the agreement with the customer will include a chargeand an agreement that the customer pays for the equipment necessary inphase 1 of the contract. Phase 2 of the agreement may, in some examples,have another equipment charge for additional LED light fixtures and theinstallation of additional LED light fixtures. In some examples, theequipment charge and/or the installation charge per light fixture inphase 2 is lower than in phase 1, due to economies of scale.

Customers may save costs by using LED light fixtures, which eliminatethe expenses associated with conventional light sources, the replacementcosts associated with conventional light sources, the labor costsassociated with the replacement of conventional light sources, the laborcosts associated with bookkeeping, tracking, and payments associatedwith conventional light sources, the expense of purchasing lights,receiving lights, unpacking lights, distributing lights, installinglights, removing and disposing of exhausted lights, breakage ofpurchased lights, storage of purchased lights, retrieval of lights,replacing ballasts and sockets and the accounting associated with theabove tasks.

In addition, the cost may vary between locations and/or facilities for acustomer. It should be noted that the expenses as identified above arerepresentative of examples, and by no means are exhaustive of all of thedirect and/or indirect expenses associated with a conventional lightsource. Using LED light fixtures 26 may eliminate a number of the aboveidentified expenses for the customer.

In one example, provider 44 is responsible for the ongoing expenseassociated with the replacement of an LED light fixture. In otherexamples, customer 46 may be responsible for the agreed-upon expenseassociated with the manufacturer, installation, and/or replacement of anLED light fixture.

In some examples, provider 44 assists customer 46 in identifying thecosts associated with conventional illumination sources so that anactual cost savings may be identified and communicated to individualshaving decision authority to minimize waste of resources by thecustomer. In at least one embodiment, the use of LED light fixturesincluding embedded communication/data, conserves and saves naturalresources reducing the stress on the environment.

In one example, the parties agree on a value and/or expense associatedwith the use of the conventional light sources so that expense savingsresulting from the use of the LED light fixtures may be identified andrealized. Provider 44 may, in some examples, determine or assist in thedetermination of an average expense incurred by a customer that usesconventional light sources.

The typical light bulb (or other conventional illumination source)following installation generally produces less light as the bulb ageseven though the bulb consumes the same amount of power over time. Areduction in the produced illumination of a conventional light sourcemay be due to dirt, deposits on the outside or inside of the gas, gasleakage, and/or wear in the filament. In one example, provider 44assists customer 46 in identifying and quantifying intangible expensesassociated with a conventional light source such as reducedproductivity, downtime, discussions and communications related toservice and maintenance, as well as/or loss of productivity due tofrustration. In at least one example, provider 44 prepares a chart ofthe usual expenses and cost savings associated with the use of LED lightfixtures as compared to conventional light sources.

In one example implementation, the cost savings realized by the customerequals the difference in the calculated and agreed upon composite costsassociated with the use of traditional light sources followingconsideration of the factors identified above, less the amount that hasbeen agreed to be paid to the provider for the use of the LED lightfixtures having embedded communication/data transmission. The customermay, for example, finance the installation and manufacture costsassociated with the LED light fixtures having embeddedcommunication/data transmission by continuing to pay to the provider theentire amount as agreed upon by the customer and/or provider of theactual previous cost expense incurred by the customer for the use ofconventional light sources, following the consideration of the aboveidentified factors.

In at least one example, the customer may finance the initialinstallation and manufacturing expenses for one or more LED lightfixtures in a manner similar to a performance contract. Factorsconsidered by the customer are present capital expenditure outlay andincurred immediate operational savings versus continuous payment of aprevious level of expenditure and realization of operational savings ata future date once financing is liquidated/exhausted. In at least oneexample, the initial capital investment is available where ongoingoperational expenses are problematic, where the ongoing cost savingsassociated with the use of the LED light fixtures with embeddedcommunication/data transmission enables the customer to afford toproceed with the use of LED light fixtures as an ongoing operationalexpense.

In at least one embodiment, pursuant to the contractual agreement, thecustomer 46 will agree to compensate provider 44 an agreed upon fixedsum, in addition to the metered electricity consumed by the LED lightfixtures/LED light sources (62) used by the customer 46, for each agreedupon period of time. In at least one embodiment, pursuant to thecontractual agreement, the customer 46 will agree to compensate provider44 an agreed upon multiplier of the metered electricity consumed by theLED light fixtures/LED light sources (62) used by the customer 46, foreach agreed upon period of time. It should be noted that any othermethod or type of compensation enhancement from the customer 46 to theprovider 44 above the metered electricity consumed by the LED lightfixtures/LED light sources (62) used by the customer 46, is contemplatedunder this invention. It is anticipated that the contractualrelationship will include a requirement that provider 44 pay thecustomer's electricity supplier, e.g., power company 48, for theelectricity consumed by the LED light fixtures/LED light sources (62)used by the customer.

Various aspects of the disclosure have been described. These and otheraspects are within the scope of the following claims.

1. A method of compensating an LED light fixture provider for generationof photons from at least one LED light fixture used by a customer, themethod comprising: receiving a monetary amount as compensation forphotons generated by the at least one LED light fixture; maintaining acontractual relationship with the customer for a period of time inexchange for the monetary amount, the contractual relationship includinga requirement that the provider pay the customer's electricity supplierfor the electricity consumed by the at least one LED light fixture;determining, with a meter associated with each respective LED lightfixture, the amount of electricity consumed by the at least one LEDlight fixture over a period of time; in response to the determinationand on behalf of the customer, submitting payment to the customer'selectricity supplier for the electricity consumed by the at least oneLED light fixture.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining acontractual relationship with the customer for a period of timecomprises maintaining a contractual relationship with a plurality ofcustomers for a period of time.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinreceiving a monetary amount as compensation for photons generated by theat least one LED light fixture comprises receiving a payment at regulartime intervals.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the period of timecontinues in perpetuity.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:transmitting the determined amount of electricity to a computing device.6. The method of claim 5, wherein transmitting the determined amount ofelectricity to a computing device comprises transmitting the determinedamount of electricity to a computing device on a weekly basis.
 7. Themethod of claim 5, wherein the computing device is located at a locationof the LED light fixture provider.
 8. The method claim 5, whereintransmitting the determined amount of electricity to a computing devicecomprises transmitting a unique identifier associated with the at leastone LED light fixture.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the uniqueidentifier comprises global positioning system information.
 10. Themethod of claim 5, wherein transmitting the determined amount ofelectricity to a computing device comprises transmitting, without userintervention, the determined amount of electricity to a computingdevice.
 11. The method of claim 5, wherein transmitting the determinedamount of electricity to a computing device comprises transmitting, upona user or provider request, the determined amount of electricity to acomputing device.
 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:determining, with a meter associated with each respective LED lightfixture, the amount of lumens generated by the at least one LED lightfixture over a period of time.
 13. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising: increasing an amount of current applied to at least one LEDof the LED light fixture if the amount of lumen generated by the atleast one LED light fixture is determined to be below a pre-determinedlevel.
 14. A method of compensating an LED light source provider forgeneration of photons from at least one LED light source used by acustomer, the method comprising: receiving a monetary amount ascompensation for photons generated by the at least one LED light source;maintaining a contractual relationship with the customer for a period oftime in exchange for the monetary amount, the contractual relationshipincluding a requirement that the provider pay the customer's electricitysupplier for the electricity consumed by the at least one LED lightsource; determining, with a meter associated with each respective LEDlight source, the amount of electricity consumed by the at least one LEDlight source over a period of time; in response to the determination andon behalf of the customer, submitting payment to the customer'selectricity supplier for the electricity consumed by the at least oneLED light source.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the LED lightsource is an LED lamp.
 16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:determining, with a meter associated with each respective LED lightsource, the amount of lumens generated by the at least one LED lightfixture over a period of time.
 17. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising: increasing an amount of current applied to at least one LEDof the LED light source if the amount of lumen generated by the at leastone LED light fixture is determined to be below a pre-determined level.18. The method of claim 14, further comprising: transmitting thedetermined amount of electricity to a computing device.
 19. The methodclaim 18, wherein transmitting the determined amount of electricity to acomputing device comprises transmitting a unique identifier associatedwith the at least one LED light fixture.
 20. The method of claim 19,wherein the unique identifier comprises global positioning systeminformation.